Letters and Numbers
by grandlarseny
Summary: she led her killer to the dance by his hand.
1. Absolute Magnitude

Prompt: sunscreen

Takes place with the assumption that Heero is now Relena's bodyguard as she campaigns for presidency. Post-EW (obv.)

**Absolute Magnitude**

"All matter within the sun is either plasma or gas, due to it's high temperatures-" The nervous nine-year-old recited dutifully, her classmates arranged behind her in various costumes, holding up murals and charts. "It is the source of light that has made life on planet Earth possible, and therefore, life in the colonies as well."

Relena's eyes were glued to the young students' speech as firmly as Heero's were to her. One of the things she had been most amazed by in their colonial tours was the extreme difference in the educational systems between the space-bound colonies and their mother planet. On Earth, this would be considered a science report- here, on L3, it was a history presentation. Heero scrutinized her every expression, down to the slightest nuance. In truth, he had little connection to the schools in the colonies- of the times when he had attended, it had been mostly for the sake of cover rather than garnering knowledge. However, despite a lack of involvement, he still found himself anxious to know how Relena reacted to it- how fully she could accept the places where he had been molded into the person he was now.

He knew he had no reason to worry. She was open minded, curious, humble. She did not frown on the artificial weather, the mechanical urban sprawl, the uneasy truth that you were dependent on fickle technology for survival rather than the constancy of a solid ground and natural atmosphere. He shuffled through several interactions he'd observed while traveling with her- when she took lunch with a few kind elderly women (he had completely panicked), how sad her eyes became when she volunteered at L2's soup kitchen (he had shut his eyes so he wouldn't have to watch her heart break), her astonishment when he had explained some of the simpler life support systems in place on L1 (he had felt like he finally had something worth telling her). It wasn't uncommon to find a prejudice among earthlings towards the colonists, but Relena had been seemingly untouched by it. She embraced each new experience without judgement, she assessed each situation with a perspective devoid of petty criticism- lately he was beginning to think he had been more right than first thought when he had said he was nothing compared to her.. When he had finally realized she was...

"-it has a strong magnetic field, and drives the climate and weather on Earth, in addition to influencing..."

...completely amazing. He visually traced her lips as they mouthed a silent 'wow' in response to the children he had long since tuned out in favor of reflecting on their observer. He thought of the one time he had been reckless enough to act on his more personal impulses- he remembered the pressing of her hand against his heart, of his lips against hers, her surprised gasp ringing louder in his ears than the engines of the space shuttle. He didn't liked to refer to it as the time 'when he kissed her'. The term oversimplified an experience with more complexity and pieces than the mobile suit he had piloted. It debased it into a mere physical event. Kissing Relena had been more than that. It had been like...

"...it's extremely hot, it's energy made through fusion processes in the core..."

...dying, was the closest thing he could draw parallel to. That falling sensation, the juxtaposition of uncertainty and inevitability, the simultaneous rush of adrenaline and the serenity of acceptance, but most of all, the exquisite pain of tasting the forbidden. But still, the analogy felt wrong, because dying had felt like he was ending, whereas kissing Relena had undeniably felt like beginning...

"- from the greek word _planetes_, meaning wanderer. The planets orbit around the sun..."

Huh.

Heero blinked, hearing the students for the first time in the past twenty minutes. He brought his attention back to the individuals on stage, in the last cycles of a demonstration of the planet's orbits. The speech must be wrapping up.

"The sun is a complex and invaluable part of our solar system. It is a precious resource that we are continually supported by and learning about. In many ways, it is the reason for our existence."

He saw Relena smile out of the corner of his peripheral vision.

Yeah, that sounded just about right.

Relena applauded wildly, but Heero just nodded once- a quiet thank you for their insights. The class beamed in pleasure.

They didn't speak until they were outside of the building. Heero shoved his hands in his pocket, as Relena slanted a hand over her brow to protect her eyes from the artificial white light, turning to him with a grin.

"I'm so impressed!" She exclaimed, excitement humming in the air around her. "They're so well-informed! And to think, I never really thought of the sun beyond what SPF sunscreen I should buy. What about you, Heero?"

Hair like the corona, shaded eyes as dark and mysterious as sunspots, Heero considered how he really needed to try that kissing business again soon...

"Yeah." He replied nonchalantly. "I've thought about it."

**Notes**

Definition of Absolute Magnitude as per wikipedia-

"the apparent magnitude an object would have if it were at a standard luminosity distance away from the observer, in the absence of astronomical extinction. It allows the overall brightnesses of objects to be compared without regard to distance."

Though I can't say I had the official definition in mind when using it as the title ;)

I know next to nothing about the solar system or the properties of heavenly bodies. All information you find in here was leisurely researched on the wikipedia, so apologies if you're an astronomy whiz and it's inaccurate. I triiiiied!

Mayhaps you might feel Heero is a little too emotional in this. I figure as a result of his time with Relena, and seeing as his perspective was entirely in the privacy of his inner thoughts, it was a passable characterization- but tell me what your impression was. And yeah I know- cheap shot throwing in the prompt word at the end. IT WAS BETTER THAT WAY, TRUST ME. XD Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Still Waters

AN: This is part of a fic I'll write one day. Maybe :) My prompt was "swimming".

Still Waters

The crowd pushed and surged as the collegiate masses siphoned into the grand lecture hall. Heero breathed deep, counted to ten. The discomfort he felt in crowds was still alien to him, considering he spent much of his childhood and early teenage years crammed in a mobile suit, or out on the battlefield, forced into close proximity with things much more horrible than the student body of L1's public university. Heero thought that maybe he was finally finding himself- apparently that also included dysfunctions he now had the luxury to acknowledge.

A shoulder bumped into Heero's back, jostling him slightly. His inhalations grew shallow, fingers tingling as his vision started swimming. The conversations flying around him became a collective metallic buzzing he couldn't quite grasp. He began to self diagnose- fibromyalgia? Tumor on the spinal column? The beginnings of an epileptic fit? ADHD? Last year he had been an information technology major- this year he switched to pre-med. Another luxury- changing his mind without major consequence.

He refused to acknowledge the possibility of a panic attack, but he did slip gracefully to the back of the room, where he stole up a blocked off flight of stairs. He took them two at a time- the speech would start soon. Almost the whole school and then some had turned out for Relena Darlian's public address. She was on a diplomatic assignment to learn about and facilitate relations with the colonies in order to assist the newly formed ESUN. 'Where better to start', the flyer Heero received had read, 'than with my peers?' He had to go, of course. He doubted Relena had any knowledge of his presence here, but where she was concerned, it had always been like a moth to the flame.

It was with a sense of trepidation that Heero settled himself between the railing and curtains of the balcony. The lights dimmed, and his eyes trained themselves anxiously on the stage. With so much in his life changing, and so much he was only now learning about himself, he had to know if this connection was also tempered by his absence and the newfound peace.

She stepped on stage and smiled. Heero felt the tension drain out of his ramrod straight posture as she drew closer to the podium. Her presence settled him even across such a huge room- he felt it as if it were a tangible force. Folding his arms, he closed his eyes as the familiar tones of her calm, feminine voice washed over him like the waves on the beach they had met on so long ago. He opened his eyes as he heard her pause, and was met with the startling blue of Relena's gaze looking at him from the oversized T.V. monitors. He jerked his gaze downward, only to see her upturned face looking straight at him.

His heart kicked into a heavy staccato, thundering in his ears. She couldn't see him up here in the shadows. That intrusion of logic disappointed him slightly. He knew she was just looking out into the crowd when her eyes shifted without any acknowledgement of having seen him. Still, though he had logically known that she wasn't looking at him... He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as his chest continued to pound. (High blood sugar? Heart arrhythmia? Overactive adrenal gland?) Sparing one last glance to the bowed crown of blond hair, he made his way back to the staircase, feeling somewhat foolish.

He should've known Relena had always been lodged somewhere in the confines of his heart (emotion is a neurological phenomena, he knew this, but that organ was always first to react when she was around).

Some things just don't change.


	3. The Freudian Slip

The Freudian Slip

Well there it was. Her mother had a more active sex life than she did. Relena sent barrages of pouts Ms. Dorlian's way as the woman laughed and flirted expertly with all the old fogies. Freud definitely would've had something to say about this.

Relena's eyes strayed to the only figure in the room looking disenchanted with the glitz. Blue analytical eyes watched for danger, not women. Strong, elegant hands rested on his earpiece, oozing a lazy grace any supermodel would envy.

She smiled and sashayed over.

If she was lucky, Freud would have something to say about this, too.


	4. The Killing Blow

Killing Blow

The wind created from the force of his blow ruffled her uniform skirt, teased blonde locks. He had never bothered to use his monitor to focus on a single individual before. Her upturned face was wondering and unafraid. It was strange, he decided, looking upon her from such a height when not twenty minutes ago, they had been so much closer.

'_You just can't shove your Gundam's shield through someone once you've learned the scent of their perfume'_, Heero reasoned much later, trying to sort through his thoughts. He thinks, _'You just can't kill someone once you know they're beautiful...'_


	5. Fifteen

Fifteen

Heero wasn't your average boy. Dr. J had made that clear to Relena. He could hack into impenetrable mainframes, pilot a mobile suit, even kill indiscriminately.

She knew she was going to learn that last part by experience.

Darlian and Peacecraft, witness and target. She wasn't so average herself, after all.

Hyped up on grief, knowledge and her own sense of fatality, she led her killer to the dance by his hand. It would be appropriate that her last one would be with him.

Funny, he was no average boy, and yet, his palm was still sweaty in her grasp.


	6. Picnic Basketcase

"This is the crappiest picnic I've ever been to."

All motion seemingly froze in shock at the coarse language uttered from the Vice Foreign Minister's mouth. Even Heero's eyebrows betrayed his surprise with a slight twitch. Belatedly, he became aware of the large number of empty champagne glasses surrounding his charge. Damn it. He hadn't realized he was ignoring her so effectively.

Relena stood, her hands settling on her hips in a posture every male could recognize as 'ticked off'. "The idea is totally warped. I know it's a benefit to raise awareness for L2's food crisis, but honestly-"

As if a switch had been flipped, the media reporting on the event sprang back into action, flashbulbs flickering like strobe lights. Briefly, Heero made an admiring note of Relena's ability to enunciate despite being obviously intoxicated.

"-Do none of you over-privileged, pompous morons see the hypocrisy in having a PICNIC to fight HUNGER?"

There was an outcry among the attendees, disbelieving gasps seemingly drawn in unison.

Damage control. Heero had to get her out of here, and _quickly_. Leaping over the refreshment table (secretly, he had always hoped he'd get to do something cool like this), he hoisted the protesting weight of one Relena Darlian over his shoulder as he jogged quickly to the limo.

"And another thing!" She shouted as she bounced around on Heero's shoulder, pointer finger still trained accusingly towards on-lookers, "I hate watercress sandwiches! They're the finger foods of privilege and oppression! Jerks!"

The last part had been spat at the distant yet disbelieving crowd as Heero shoved her into the back seat. He joined her quickly, slamming the door shut with a huge sense of relief.

"Let's get her back the hotel." He sighed, catching the drivers' eyes in the rear view mirror. Pagan nodded once before the tinted window rolled back into place.

Leaning back onto the seats, he spared a glance at his petite companion. She sat hunched in on herself, arms crossed as she glared daggers at the air in front of her. Catching his sudden attention, she huffed slightly, but didn't turn away. Silence spread thick between them, loaded and unnatural.

"You don't think Duo will be angry with me?" She asked quietly after some time had passed. "The only reason I went was because he asked me to."

Heero ran a hand through his already unruly bangs. "I think he'll forgive you. If anything, you've probably drawn more publicity to the event than if you had behaved yourself."

Her chuckle was breathy, as if she had been holding in the exhalation.

Heero drummed his fingers against his thigh, debating on whether or not to broach the topic of her behavior. It was a short debate, seeing as risk-taking was pretty much his philosophy of life, so he decided to play with fire and mention the elephant in the limo.

"...Want to talk about happened back there, Relena?" He was annoyed to hear a catch in his voice as he said her name. He could tell from her uncharacteristically poor posture she still wasn't totally over it, nor totally sober.

"Oh, I don't know. It was all so…pretentious and self-important. I can't _stand _it when people who've never bothered to _visit_ a colony pat themselves on the back for 'saving' one-"

"You're lying." Heero interrupted her. "You've gone to a hundreds of functions you loathed and still managed to keep me from having to drag you out."

Relena slumped even further in her seat, and Heero had to fight to keep an exasperated smile off his face. He wanted to be annoyed with her, but it was rare he could read Relena's emotions so easily that he couldn't help finding her sudden displays- dare he say it- cute?

"I suppose I was a bit... indisposed." She muttered, a scowl stealing over her features. Clearly she did not enjoy his line of questioning.

"And why were you…_indisposed_?" Heero pressed, the corner of his mouth ticking up slightly as he lost his fight to keep his poker face intact.

She directed a withering glare at him for his trouble. "You're amused. You ass. It was because of you I ended up drinking more than I realized."

Heero's smile abruptly wilted. "Relena... if this is about this morning..."

Relena suddenly straightened, eyes blazing in indignation. "Of course it's about this morning! I know it's hard for people to understand, but I _am_ only 19. I've been in the political arena since I was 15! God knows I haven't even finished _school_, much less dated!"

Heero blinked in bewilderment, failing to see how her rant connected to the events that had happened only hours ago.

"And then you walk in on me in the shower, and I _know _it was an accident, but all I can seem to be is relieved that at least _someone _saw me in the nude while I'm under thirty because god knows when _that_ will end up happening again-"

To Heero's horror, he felt a flush creep up his neck at her candid retelling. Details trickled into his minds' eye against his will- her surprised gasp, the smooth looking texture of her skin, how her eyes had looked so much bigger with her bangs slicked back... She was still talking. Heero tuned back in to catch the tail end of her confession.

"-but then you just walked out, without a word! I mean, I at least had hoped you'd have an erection." Heero almost choked on his own saliva at this, but Relena remained oblivious as she visibly drooped. "It's all so disappointing, you see."

Heero was at war with the truth within himself, and the temptation to let the issue rest and keep his dignity intact. Had he known champagne worked on Relena better than truth serum, he may have chosen to ask later, once it was out of her system- but how was he to know the conversation would have taken such an unexpected turn?

She looked so wounded, her eyebrows drawn soulfully over her lashes, mouth unconsciously pouting. He groaned inwardly before clearing his throat.

"Relena...ah...don't- don't be disappointed." He coughed to cover up the flustered tone in his voice. He couldn't believe he was about to say this. Duo's words echoed morbidly in his head_. 'Anything at all for the one you love'_* "I, um... I had one."

Her gaze snapped to his face, expression turned inquiring. "What?"

"An erection." Heero clarified through clenched teeth. God, he should've stayed in bed today. "I got one... when I saw you."

She seemed happy for a moment, but quickly grew serious again.

"I don't understand." Relena said. "You've been ignoring me all day..."

Heero pinched the bridge of his nose as his jaw worked. The woman was totally dense when it came to this matter. "Yes, I did. I had to."

Relena wrinkled her nose. "Why would you _have_ to ignore me?"

His fingers were clenched in the material of his slacks. Could she honestly not figure it out? "If I didn't, then I would have become...distracted."

"But why?" She honestly looked as if she didn't have a clue.

Heero was at his breaking point. There was only so much a man could take. "BECAUSE I KEPT PICTURING YOU NAKED!"

He slapped a hand over his mouth as soon as he realized what had just been revealed. Please let this be some bizarre, whacked out dream. He did not just tell his boss, and one of the greatest political figures of his time, that he fantasized about her. While on duty, no less.

Her reaction was quite the opposite of his. A warm, heartbreaking smile spread over her features, her cheeks dimpling innocently. "Oh Heero! I'm so happy! You find me sexually attractive!"

Heero groaned out loud this time- no-brainer of the century, Minister Darlian- but was placed immediately on edge as the car stopped abruptly.

The tinted window separating Pagan and his passengers rolled down, and Heero immediately swallowed as he caught the ferociously enraged expression of Relena's elderly butler.

He heard, rather than saw, the click of a gun being cocked.

"Naked, eh, Preventer Yuy?" The old man rasped.

'_Yeah'_, Heero thought, _'definitely should've stayed in bed.'_

_AN: Will I ever stop finding ways to work nudity and alcohol into my 1xR stories?  
_


End file.
